Chapter Fifty-Five: Too Much of a Good Thing to Enjoy

Li Yanqing leaped up. This was something Prefect Li Kui had promised him, and he hadn't expected it to arrive just now. He was anxious to leave right away.

However, Li Wenyou grabbed him by the sleeve. "Don't go. Your father specifically instructed me that he can handle it himself, and told you to stay here and represent him in drinking."

Li Yanqing slowly sat down, though anxiety still churned in his heart. What if his father lacked eloquence and ruined this major matter?

At that moment, Li Dongdong stood up and raised his cup to make a toast. "Being busy making a living in the capital, Dongdong has been unable to return home to fulfill my filial duties. I am deeply grateful to all my fellow villagers and the clan elder for normally taking care of my father. Having no other way to repay this, I have specially prepared a cup of wine to thank you all. I will drain my cup first as a sign of respect!"

He drained his cup in one gulp, and everyone else raised their cups to drink as well. Only then did they pick up their chopsticks, laughing and chatting as they began to eat.

Just then, a thin, scrawny man in his thirties, wearing rather shabby clothes, walked up to Li Yanqing. Raising his cup with an ingratiating smile, he said, "I have come to toast the young master."

The expression on the face of Li Dongdong's father immediately darkened. This was his eldest son-in-law, Zhang Ping, a good-for-nothing rogue. If not for his son inviting him, he would never have allowed this man into the house to eat.

However, Zhang Ping's cup was already extended toward Li Yanqing. Unwilling to lose face in front of the clan elder, Li Dongdong's father had no choice but to introduce him bitterly, "Qing'er, this is my eldest son-in-law, Zhang Ping."

Li Yanqing let out an "Oh!" So this was the father of Wild Goose and Magpie. Inspecting him closely, Li Yanqing saw that he had a round face and slender eyes, within which a trace of crafty gleam flickered faintly. Li Yanqing instantly thought of Wild Goose; the father and daughter possessed such an uncanny resemblance.

Not knowing why Zhang Ping was toasting him, Li Yanqing offered a few polite remarks and drank a cup with him.

Zhang Ping, however, showed no intention of leaving. It seemed he had something to say. Li Dongdong's father grew even more displeased in his heart and urged him, "The young master wants to eat and drink. Now that you've made your toast, be on your way!"

Pretending not to hear his father-in-law, Zhang Ping smiled again at Li Yanqing and said, "I heard Daqi say earlier that he is often away from home and the young master always lacks someone to take care of him. I made him a suggestion, though he said it would only work if the young master himself agreed."

Li Yanqing smiled cheerfully. "I wonder what good suggestion Brother Zhang offered my father?"

Nearby, the heart of Li Dongdong's father began to stir with irritation. This son-in-law of his was not only lazy and idle, but also addicted to drinking, gambling, and visiting prostitutes, having sold everything of value in the house to a clean sweep. Every time he pitied his daughter and gave her a little money, this scoundrel would snatch it away. What kind of good suggestion could he possibly have? He must be plotting some malicious scheme against the young master!

Fearing that his son-in-law would ruin his son's business, Li Dongdong's father stood up and pushed Zhang Ping aside. "Step away, this is none of your business!"

Li Yanqing hurriedly stopped him. "Second Uncle, do not be angry. Since Brother Zhang has already spoken to my father, it is better to listen."

Glaring at his father-in-law, Zhang Ping bent down again and smiled ingratiatingly. "I told your father that if the young master's quarters lack someone, my humble daughter could go and serve."

What kind of good suggestion was this? Li Yanqing was momentarily stunned.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Li Dongdong's father flew into a furious rage. Rushing forward, he grabbed his son-in-law by the collar and swung his fist to strike. "You get drunk and start throwing tantrums, bringing shame upon me in front of everyone!"

Frightened, the others quickly rushed forward to pull them apart. Li Wenyou pressed Li Dongdong's father back into his seat and chuckled, "Actually, it's not a bad thing! Once daughters grow up, they always go out to do some work to help supplement the household income. As long as the timing is arranged properly so it doesn't interfere with her marriage, it's fine."

Li Yanqing finally understood Zhang Ping's intention: he was offering to sell his daughter to their household as a maidservant. Yet maidservants in the Song Dynasty differed from those of earlier times; essentially, it was an employment relationship wherein both parties signed a time-bound contract, and upon its expiration, freedom was restored.

Consequently, many impoverished families were willing to send their daughters out to work as young maidservants—not only sparing themselves the cost of feeding them, but also earning a sum of money, and returning to freedom just in time for marriage when the term expired.

Precisely because of the abundant supply, ordinary maidservants were quite inexpensive, costing only five or six strings of cash a year. Those who were slightly prettier and cleverer might command a slightly higher price, but at most it would only be around ten strings of cash a year. Thus, many middle-class families kept young maidservants; for instance, Li Er and Li San both had two young maidservants in their households.

Yet, regardless of the circumstances, this remained a disgraceful affair, tantamount to admitting one's own uselessness and the necessity of pawning a daughter to make money. This was the cause of Li Dongdong's father's fury. His son-in-law was actually auctioning off his own granddaughter in front of everyone—where was he supposed to put his aged face?

Li Wenyou smiled at Li Yanqing and said, "Your father will frequently be away from home in the future, and I also feel you need a young maidservant to look after your daily life. What do you think?"

"Thank you for the clan elder's kind intention, but I do not need one at the moment!"

Li Yanqing flatly refused. He was not particularly averse to being served by a maidservant, but crucially, he knew that the daughter Zhang Ping intended to pawn off must be his eldest daughter, Zhang Dayan. He had no desire for that young miss to wait on him. Magpie would be a different story, but unfortunately, she was far too young.

Li Wenyou was an extremely astute and wealthy elderly landowner. Knowing the deep affection between Li Dongdong and his eldest sister, he had invited the brother-in-law to feast at his home. This Zhang Ping was a notorious rogue in Qianshan Village; if he could be reined in, it would provide an indirect way to monitor Li Dongdong.

Seeing that Li Yanqing declined, Li Wenyou smiled at Zhang Ping, "Coincidentally, my wife needs a maid skilled in needlework. Why not send your daughter to work at my residence? Bring her tomorrow, and we can discuss the price face-to-face."

Overjoyed, Zhang Ping bowed hurriedly. "It would be my daughter's honor to work at the Li estate."

Although Li Dongdong's father was annoyed by his son-in-law's incompetence, given the man's character, his eldest granddaughter was bound to go out to work this year anyway. Rather than suffering hardship as a maid in an ordinary household, it was far better for her to work in the clan elder's estate—not to mention the fine food, the income would also be decent, just enough to earn some money to supplement his own daughter's household expenses. Throwing a fierce glare at his son-in-law, he said nothing more.

Li Yanqing cared little about Zhang Dayan going to work as a maid in the clan elder's house; his sole concern right now was his father's situation, wondering how the discussions had turned out.

Burning with impatience yet not daring to stand up and take his leave, Li Yanqing finally endured until the banquet dispersed. Preparing to take his leave and depart, he found that Li Dongdong had already been plied with so much alcohol by the crowd that he was dead drunk, leaving Li Dongdong's father to see them out of the house.

Li Wenyou smiled and said, "Qing'er, ride in my carriage! I have something to say to you."

Li Yanqing had no choice but to board the carriage. Li Wenyou instructed a servant boy to ride Li Yanqing's donkey back home, and only then did the carriage set off.

Inside the carriage, Li Wenyou produced a commercial contract and handed it to him. "In triplicate; this copy is yours, keep it safe."

Taking the contract, Li Yanqing asked, "Where does the clan elder plan to begin?"

"I intend to start with this batch of medicine. Tomorrow, your father and Li Dongdong will go to Weinan Town to procure medicinal materials. Afterward, I plan to put him in charge of the finances, as I trust no one else. Next month, when the canal thaws, I will accompany your father and the cargo boats carrying the medicine to the capital. On one hand, this is for the matter of revising the clan registry, and while there, I'll also observe the grain market. Once terms are settled in the capital, we will begin purchasing and transporting the first batch of grain in March. Qing'er, I have planned this endeavor for nearly four years yet hesitated to execute it; I never expected that because of you, it would finally come to fruition."

Li Wenyou was filled with deep emotion. From now on, they would slowly begin dealing with the capital, which presented a challenge for him as well.

A myriad of emotions stirred within Li Yanqing's heart as well. After enduring trials and tribulations, his father was finally embarking on a new life. If only his father could remarry a virtuous and kind wife, then everything would truly be complete.

However, leaving the accounts in his father's hands gave Li Yanqing a twinge of unease. Part of the reason for their impoverished and destitute life as father and son was precisely that his father simply did not know how to manage a household.

To give a simple example: sugar in the Great Song was extremely expensive, costing ten coins for a syrup pancake. While Daqi felt a pang of heartache for his son when he forked over ten coins to buy one, he failed to realize that adding just five more coins would buy a dou of wheat, sparing them from constantly eating vegetable-and-bean steamed buns.

Still, since the clan elder trusted his father, that was another matter entirely.

At that moment, a thought suddenly occurred to Li Yanqing, and he hurriedly said to Li Wenyou, "I wonder if my father has ever mentioned relocating my mother's grave."

Li Wenyou nodded. "Your father has spoken to me about it. I bear some responsibility for that matter back then; I should not have agreed to your maternal grandfather. Rest assured, however, your maternal grandfather has business dealings with our Li clan involving thousands of strings of cash each year. As long as I propose relocating the grave, he will not dare to refuse. Nevertheless, this matter must wait until we return from the capital. You must be patient a little longer!"

"I have no problem with that. Thank you, clan elder!"

Li Wenyou smiled. "Your task is to study diligently. I saw you take a sword from Li Dongdong's house; actually, striving to excel in both literature and martial arts is quite a good path. In this world, only three things are truly useful: either your purse is full, your power is great, or your fists are hard—everything else is pure nonsense!"

"I shall engrave the clan elder's teachings upon my heart, Qing'er."

Li Wenyou laughed heartily, his round, chubby face blooming like a flower. "I wouldn't dare lecture you. We have arrived, off you go!"

As the carriage came to a steady halt, Li Yanqing leaped down and sprinted toward the village.

......

Just as Li Yanqing reached the village entrance, he ran right into Third Aunt Gu. Carrying a rolling pin, she was marching out of the village with a look of fury.

"Third Aunt, going out so late?"

"Zhuzi's father went to the town to buy vinegar, but he hasn't returned yet. Who knows where he's slinked off to, I'm going to look for him!"

Hesitating for a moment, Li Yanqing asked, "Would you like me to accompany you, Third Aunt?"

"No need, no need, hurry on home!"

After walking a few steps, Third Aunt Gu turned back and said, "Qing'er, someone came today to inquire about your father's situation. We all spoke well of him for you and even signed and pressed our fingerprints on the paper. Everyone hopes your father gets back on his feet!"

"Thank you, Third Aunt. I will surely repay everyone in the future."

"No need for formalities, hurry and go see your father! He was crying today."

Running all the way home, Li Yanqing found that both the courtyard gate and the inner door were wide open. Rushing inside, he saw his father sitting in the pitch-dark parlor, burying his face in his hands and weeping softly. Startled, Li Yanqing quickly lit the lamp.

"Father, how did it go?" Li Yanqing asked anxiously.

Picking up a piece of paper from the table, Li Daqi handed it to his son and said with a choked voice, "See for yourself!"

Taking the paper, Li Yanqing examined it closely. Astonishingly, it was an official government investigation record. It clearly stated that although scholar Li Daqi of Tangyin had violated regulations in the imperial examinations five years ago, five years had already passed. Through on-site investigations, Li Daqi had thoroughly mended his ways, benefited his community, and enjoyed an excellent reputation among the populace. It was specially recommended that his unfavorable imperial examination record from five years ago be expunged, with the hope that he would henceforth conduct himself properly and never offend again.

Below was the autograph of the investigator. Generally speaking, once an investigator verified the situation on-site, there would be no problem at all, and the record would certainly be cleared.

Li Yanqing's eyes grew moist as well. For a full five years, his father had finally regained his innocence. At that sight, looking at his son, Li Daqi could no longer suppress the upheaval in his heart. Slumping over the table, he burst into a tearful wail.

[End of Volume One]